as in blushing
to develop a rosy facial color (as from excitement or embarrassment)
his face reddened when she flashed him a dazzling smile
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Recent Examples of reddening
Warning signs include yellowing within a week of infestation, purpling or reddening of leaves, stunting despite adequate moisture, weakening root systems and patchy areas of thinning or dead grass.
—
Christina Shaw, FOXNews.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Angine desperately returns to the store, again and again, to get her fix from Malaise, her face reddening from blood just below the surface, a canvas of her awakened desire.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025
The front lawn falls steeply away from the house and on down to the fence, a garden overgrown with reddening watsonias.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Visible light has been shown to trigger erythema, or skin reddening, in lighter skin.
—Andrea Muraskin, NPR, 23 Aug. 2025
Christina Shaw, FOXNews.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Angine desperately returns to the store, again and again, to get her fix from Malaise, her face reddening from blood just below the surface, a canvas of her awakened desire.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025
The front lawn falls steeply away from the house and on down to the fence, a garden overgrown with reddening watsonias.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Visible light has been shown to trigger erythema, or skin reddening, in lighter skin.
—Andrea Muraskin, NPR, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reddening
Verb
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Only on the occasional night out would the former publicist embellish her features by blushing her lips in a ruby red hue — sometimes glossy, sometimes matte.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Still, there is one explicit scene in the erotic dramedy that ended up getting shortened — but not to spare blushing audiences.—
Mike Miller,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Safety Considerations Burns are the biggest risk when flushing a water heater.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Feb. 2026
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Ever wondered about the science behind flushing during a flight?—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As a result, a ring of fire phenomenon can be seen, as the sun’s outer edge appears like a glowing circle around the moon.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
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Pilots can see bad weather lurking in the distance hours before takeoff, glowing like a wraith on their digital maps.—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reddening. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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